Windows Server Data Deduplication Volume Eligibility
Short answer
C Enable Data Deduplication on Volumes D and E only, as they are the only supported data formats (NTFS and ReFS) that are not the OS boot volume.
Question
Contoso, Ltd. is a company that has a main office in Seattle and two branch offices in Los Angeles and Montreal.
Existing Environment
AD DS Environment
The network contains an on-premises Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) forest named contoso.com. The forest contains two domains named contoso.com and canada.contoso.com.
The forest contains the domain controllers shown in the following table.
All the domain controllers are global catalog servers.
Server Infrastructure
The network contains the servers shown in the following table.
A server named Server4 runs Windows Server and is in a workgroup. Windows Defender Firewall on Server4 uses the private profile.
Server2 hosts three virtual machines named VM1, VM2, and VM3.
VM3 is a file server that stores data in the volumes shown in the following table.
Group Policies
The contoso.com domain has the Group Policies Objects (GPOs) shown in the following table.
Existing Identities
The forest contains the users shown in the following table.
The forest contains the groups shown in the following table.
Current Problems
When an administrator signs in to the console of VM2 by using Virtual Machine Connection, and then disconnects from the session without signing out, another administrator can connect to the console session as the currently signed-in user.
Requirements
Technical Requirements
Contoso identifies the following technical requirements:
Change the replication schedule for all site links to 30 minutes.
Promote Server1 to a domain controller in canada.contoso.com.
Install and authorize Server3 as a DHCP server.
Ensure that User1 can manage the membership of all the groups in Contoso\OU3.
Ensure that you can manage Server4 from Server1 by using PowerShell remoting.
Ensure that you can run virtual machines on VM1.
Force users to provide credentials when they connect to VM2.
On VM3, enable Data Deduplication on all volumes that support the feature.
You need to meet the technical requirements for VM3.
On which volumes can you enable Data Deduplication?
Key Takeaways
Data Deduplication requires NTFS or ReFS; it cannot be enabled on the OS boot volume (C) or exFAT-formatted drives (F).
Determines which volumes support Data Deduplication based on file system type and role. The correct selection excludes the OS boot drive and exFAT volumes, retaining only NTFS and ReFS data volumes.
Common mistake: Selecting all volumes or including the OS drive (C) because users may assume deduplication applies to any writable storage, ignoring the strict exclusion of the boot partition.
Expert Analysis
The question tests the specific volume format requirements for enabling Data Deduplication in Windows Server. The governing principle is that Data Deduplication is supported on data volumes formatted with NTFS or ReFS, but it is strictly unsupported on the operating system boot volume and volumes formatted with simple file systems such as exFAT.
Analyzing the scenario's volume table: Volume C is the OS boot volume, which is ineligible. Volume F is formatted with exFAT, a simple file system that does not support the deduplication engine. Volumes D (NTFS) and E (ReFS) are standard data formats fully supported by the feature.
Community comments correctly identify this constraint, noting that while NTFS and ReFS are eligible (supporting both since Windows Server 2019), the OS drive and exFAT drives must be excluded. Therefore, only Volumes D and E qualify.
Exam Strategy
When configuring storage features like Data Deduplication, always verify the file system type and volume role. Memorize that the OS boot volume is never eligible for deduplication, and check if simple file systems like exFAT or FAT32 are explicitly excluded from the feature's support matrix.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I enable Data Deduplication on an exFAT volume?
Why is the OS boot volume excluded from Data Deduplication?
Community Votes
100% of anonymous learners picked answer C. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Discussion 1 contributions
Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.
From public community threads 1
-
fabiomartinsnet 👍 1 Answered CData Deduplication is supported on data volumes formatted with both NTFS and ReFS starting with Windows Server 2019, making volumes D (NTFS) and E (ReFS) eligible for deduplication; however, it is strictly unsupported on the OS boot volume (drive C) and simple file systems like exFAT (drive F), confirming that D and E only is the correct answer.
Reader comments & corrections
No reader corrections yet — spotted an error or have a note? Share it below.
Related Analysis
Practice All AZ-802 Questions
Access 125 questions with complete answers and detailed explanations.
View Full AZ-802 Practice Test →